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Social Distortion — Ring Of Fire
Album: Social Distortion
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2154









Released: 1990
Length: 3:46
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by one desire
I fell into a, a ring of fire

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down down down
And the flames went higher
And it burn burn burns
That ring of fire
That ring of fire

The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
I fell for ya, like a child
Oh, let the fire burn wild

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down down down
And the flames went higher
And it burns burn burns
That ring of fire
That ring of fire

''Let it burn!''

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down down down
And the flames went higher
And it burns burn burns
That ring of fire
That ring of fire

The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
I fell for ya, like a child
Oh, let the fire burn wild

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down down down
And the flames went higher
And it burns burn burns
That ring of fire
That ring of fire

''One more time!''

I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down down down
And the flames went higher
And it burns burn burns
That ring of fire
That ring of fire

That ring of fire
That ring of fire
Comments (165)add comment
 skimbrie wrote:

Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.


Actually, it should be "No one should cover Johnny Cash badly."

Nick Cave gets it right. So does Wall of Voodoo, in my opinion.
I feel bad for customers when this song comes on & I have to turn it up to... 11.  
Even better by Social Distortion: "When She Begins" and "Bad Luck." Great videos too.  
Best version of this song, ever!!
 steviedeant wrote:

Sounds like a cross between the Ramones and Billy Idol. A mediocre cover of a great song.



You can get off at the next stop, seriously! Get the hell off the station.
Hey, I was just dozing but no more!
 harryiago wrote:

Wall of voodoo does a great version


Yes! I was about to write the  same thing... 
 Jim__Sheila wrote:


My thoughts are different on this. Johnny Cash does a great cover of Nine Inch Nails "Hurt" and I enjoy Social Distortion's cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" just as much.  By the way, Johnny Cash's "Ring of  Fire" is technically a cover as well. 

"Ring of Fire" is a song written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore and popularized by Johnny Cash in 1963.


Johnny also did a cover of Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat"--better than the original. Stops me in my tracks every time. 
A great cover!  Don't knock it!
Sounds like a cross between the Ramones and Billy Idol. A mediocre cover of a great song.
I greatly prefer the Wall of Voodoo cover of this song.
We're really rocking out this Sunday morning. I'm loving it!
 For a punk rock outfit this is a very lame cover. Should be at least half as fast again if they mean it. 
Love Johnny. Love this.
 kbs wrote:

I misread Social Distortion as Social Distancing, and thought of the efficiency of having a ring of fire as your personal space boundary. Sad times indeed!


Team Fortress 2 has the "Huo Long Heater" (video at link) which does exactly that, creates a ring of fire around the player that sets the enemy on fire if anyone gets too close. 


 skimbrie wrote:

Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.



There's covers and then there's covers.  Generally agree that most covers suck but there are some great covers of Dylan and cash out there, this is one of them
 radioparadise9 wrote:

Because Bill / Rebecca want to play it ... it's their station


With respect for the honest answer. 🤗
Can't beleive I gave this a 4, raised to a 7
Good! But, not as good as Johnny Cash!
 skimbrie wrote:

Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.



My thoughts are different on this. Johnny Cash does a great cover of Nine Inch Nails "Hurt" and I enjoy Social Distortion's cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" just as much.  By the way, Johnny Cash's "Ring of  Fire" is technically a cover as well. 

"Ring of Fire" is a song written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore and popularized by Johnny Cash in 1963.
 radioparadise9 wrote:

Because Bill / Rebecca want to play it ... it's their station



 MM_Prague wrote:



But have you heard the Wall of Voodoo version?


I miss Wall of Voodoo!
 kbs wrote:

I misread Social Distortion as Social Distancing, and thought of the efficiency of having a ring of fire as your personal space boundary. Sad times indeed!

Alternatively as a student I recall putting this song on the jukebox as a friend came into the pub - he was suffering the after-effects of a dodgy curry the night before and did not share our amusement...   



Too funny bud!
 skimbrie wrote:

Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.




But have you heard the Wall of Voodoo version?
I love Johnny Cash.

But this version is a tremendous improvement on the original.

I've seen Social D live many times, and they always rip this song! They're descendants of Johnny's badass nature, and it shows in this cover.
 skimbrie wrote:

Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.



I don't have any musical 'sacred cows' and am happy to see good covers that bring something unique to a song. 
This, unfortunately, is merely adequate. 
 kcar wrote:

Mos' def. But "Bad Luck" or "When She Begins" would be better choices.


Wouldn't disagree but this track was my introduction to the band. And besides, they had what it took to blaze a Johhny Cash standard and RP mixed it in at just the right moment.  For me, sometimes it's the DJ mix that sells the song and the band.  Cheers.   
 radioparadise9 wrote:

Because Bill / Rebecca want to play it ... it's their station

Mos' def. But "Bad Luck" or "When She Begins" would be better choices.
 skimbrie wrote:

Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.


...but Johnny Cash's version is a cover itself! It was originally written by his wife, June Carter Cash, and performed by her sister, Anita Carter. Might as well say no one should cover her! It's wrong either way.
reminded me of Shane MacGowen but I prefer the Pogues
I know it's considered blasphemy to cover JR Cash, but this is a great take on a classic. The whole disc is solid too.
c.
The set list changed....Alanis Morissette "All I Really Want" bitter post-relationship song to this version of June Cash's bitter love song.  Nice sense of humor RP.  Thanks for the chuckle.
 zedwhytheexwarrior wrote:
Nice that this followed 'A Boy Named Sue', well played RP! 
 

They did it again!
 kingart wrote:
Hot cover. Let it rip. 
 
Yep. It beats rhe punky crap out of Johnny Cash. 

Pass the lager and Vindaloo :o)
I always thought this song would be good for a Preparation H advert.
Nice that this followed 'A Boy Named Sue', well played RP! 
Wall of voodoo does a great version
 skimbrie wrote:
Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.
 
Did you go the long way round?
 pat3 wrote:
The Obvious Child/Paul Simon --> Round And Round/Louis Prima --> The Nutcracker/Tchaikovsky --> Ring of Fire/Social Distortion. Bill is the GOD of jaw dropping transitions. 
 
Insert "All I Really Want" by Alanis Morissette between Nutcracker and ROF cover and you get the same result.
 radioparadise9 wrote:

Because Bill / Rebecca want to play it ... it's their station
 
Anyway, what's wrong with it?  Nothin' it's rockin.
I'm all for uncommon covers and I usually enjoy it when the song turns out completely different. But this is like a high school rock band awkwardly trying to cover Johnny Cash. SD could have done much better!
PS: if you're into this, check Me First and the Gimme Gimme's, it's both hilarious and musically awesome :-D 
 thewiseking wrote:
This pales next to Wall of Voodoos version
 
Apple vs Orange
 alisathegreat wrote:
Appropriate song right now as 50 active wildfires here in Oregon have consumed nearly half a million acres, with a lot of homes and communities sadly destroyed. 
 

Yeah, I'm hoping that we change how we treat forests and fire with a new President Biden and Dem's running the Dept. of the Interior. 
Appropriate song right now as 50 active wildfires here in Oregon have consumed nearly half a million acres, with a lot of homes and communities sadly destroyed. 
I misread Social Distortion as Social Distancing, and thought of the efficiency of having a ring of fire as your personal space boundary. Sad times indeed!

Alternatively as a student I recall putting this song on the jukebox as a friend came into the pub - he was suffering the after-effects of a dodgy curry the night before and did not share our amusement...   
Better than the original!!! ducks and runs away........
This'll be after a boozy night topped off with a bastard hot Vindaloo. Ring of fire, right enough :(

This beats the crap out of Cash's original. It's rock not C&W.
Brilliant rendition! 
Where’s my bong
As someone who lives in Northern California and who is literally surrounded by fires to the East and West, this song takes on a new meaning.
Give me the original. 
Great transition from "Boy named Sue" by Cash (June and Johnny)...Genius, Bill and Rebecca!  And even Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" before that.
 thewiseking wrote:
This pales next to Wall of Voodoos version
 I  found it on youtube, I gotta admit it's really good. Stan Ridgway gives it a whole different vibe - but maintains that 'out of control' essence.

I bet Mr. Cash approved.
c.

Thank God for PSD!
 skimbrie wrote:
Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.
 

My first thought was, "Is Iceland big enough for two places to be 9 hours apart?" So I used Google Maps, and it says Reykjavik to Husavik is 5 hours and 35 minutes, which is still a longer drive than I expected, but also considerably shorter than 9 hours. Were you travelling by dog sled or something? :)
 cosmiclint wrote:


You would think Randy Travis would know this is a June Carter Cash song which her husband covered.
 
I'm with RT on his say about it. Destroyed this song altogether. Shoulda done a cover of a similar to themselves band cover! NOT the Man in Black!!
 cosmiclint wrote:


You would think Randy Travis would know this is a June Carter Cash song which her husband covered.
 
Either way,  SD just mangles this awesome classic.
 xcranky_yankee wrote:
Why Not? Johnny Cash did some odd covers in his time. Almost sounded like the Pogues who I miss...
 And I'd bet Cash's covers were a helluva lot better than the  massive discombobulated mess these distorted socials are doing to such a fine classic!!
The Obvious Child/Paul Simon --> Round And Round/Louis Prima --> The Nutcracker/Tchaikovsky --> Ring of Fire/Social Distortion. Bill is the GOD of jaw dropping transitions. 
 skimbrie wrote:
Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.
 
Absolutely!! SD doesn't do the "Man In Black" any justice with this. 
Bill preceded this track with the Chinese Dance from the Nutcracker suite. That piece is in the key of B-flat. This track is in the key of B-flat. Beyond that, I don’t see the relationship between ballet and punk. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Bill played “The
 pawelcitak83 wrote:
The best cover ever. Keeps my head bangin and I want to kill every coronavirus instance.
 

To kill every coronavirus instance.

Look for white trash with a MAGA cap and an American flag demanding their right to infect everyone 
... shoot straight

This ought to be followed by Brian Briggs  "Going' Out Of My Head"
The best snarl in rock n roll... fabulous cover
 Svetty wrote:
Just no!
 Just YES!
This is maybe the only cover of the song I like. They captured the manic energy of Johnny and June's illicit affair, burning out of control.
c.

Why Not? Johnny Cash did some odd covers in his time. Almost sounded like the Pogues who I miss...
 psmccarthy.ncba880 wrote:
Several years ago I was watching American Idol with my daughter (her favorite show....I suffered through it for bonding reasons) and this flamboyant young male singer with painted hair, makeup, and goth leather clothes did a weird erotic version of ROF which I found to be interesting and compelling. I lauded him for it in spite of the cheeky sacrilege. But the best part was that one of the judges was none other than country legend Randy Travis who was demonstrably appalled by it and responded in a mixed emotion of disgust and disbelief "Why would anyone do that to a Johnny Cash song?"
 

You would think Randy Travis would know this is a June Carter Cash song which her husband covered.
Just no!
 skimbrie wrote:
Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.
 

There ya go.  Nicely done !
Incredible! The Johnny Cash version is such a dirge - this at least has demonic life!!
The best cover ever. Keeps my head bangin and I want to kill every coronavirus instance.
Several years ago I was watching American Idol with my daughter (her favorite show....I suffered through it for bonding reasons) and this flamboyant young male singer with painted hair, makeup, and goth leather clothes did a weird erotic version of ROF which I found to be interesting and compelling. I lauded him for it in spite of the cheeky sacrilege. But the best part was that one of the judges was none other than country legend Randy Travis who was demonstrably appalled by it and responded in a mixed emotion of disgust and disbelief "Why would anyone do that to a Johnny Cash song?"
yes sir I do like it.  SD is an  #rse kicking band. And Mike Ness in his other stuff
More. Social. Distortion.
Long story. My daughter and I were on a nine hour drive from Reykjavik to Husavik in Iceland. We were well into it when this song came up on my playlist.

She said, "Skip that one."

I said, "Why, I kind of like it.".

She said, "No one should cover Johnny Cash."

Right then I knew I had raised her right.
Nice following J. Cash with this. way cool.
the pick scrape down the neck of the guitar, what is that called?, works great here.

 
(anonymous) wrote:


This cover is incredible... absolutely incredible...  love it...


 

Social D of the OC!  An all time fave!
 thewiseking wrote:
This pales next to Wall of Voodoos version
 
I agree, but feel neither has enough 'edge' to it. I think I'd like to hear Metallica do a version.
What a deadly boring  wannabe-punk-cover
Fun cover, but I think the singer could add some intensity to match the guitar.
this song reminds of when me and my gramma used to jump fences in socal to skate pools,laugh and vert out for hours.good times,thank you gramma and social distortion too i guess.
Getting bored with the alt-this and alt-that genres. I needed this. Thanks Bill
It rocks punk
Cool Cover
 kelo wrote:
Will all my respect: Why this song in RP?
 
Because Bill / Rebecca want to play it ... it's their station
This is a great cover.  It is really hard to screw up this song.  
This pales next to Wall of Voodoos version
much better than a polar vortex
Hot cover. Let it rip. 
Seeing them play this live is an experience not to be missed.
I love Bill's cover of great covers! I thought of the scene in the Blues brothers in the bar. This could been their second cover. going for 9er on this one.
 kelo wrote:
Will all my respect: Why this song in RP?
 

Because it’s a great interpretation of a classic song.  Better than the original, IMHO. 


Not a bad cover but "When She Begins" is a much better SD song.

 
Love this cover song and this album cover as much as titties and beer...


 Stingray wrote:
YEAH - supercool cover.

AGREE!!
 

I be the holy ghost of big stud Romeo Tuma...  hope you be having a marvelous September in 2013, Stingray...

everybody in my mushrooming multitude of churches be dancing buck ass naked all over the world...  love this cover...  love sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll... 
 romeotuma wrote:


I love this song soooo much, and this cover is incredibly cool...

 
 

YEAH - supercool cover.

AGREE!!
"VIBRATORS" are classes better!

PUNK forever!!!
Go June.
Will all my respect: Why this song in RP?
Wow.  It burns.  It really burns. 
Punkabilly at its best!!!

I expected to hate this, but I was wrong. I suspect Johnny would have liked it, too.
Love it!! Not going to win any awards for musical originality or dexterity but who cares!  Almost prefer it to the JC version....

I don't hear it:

- The drums are just a looped set.
- The guitar is a looped set of down-up-down-up-down-up stroked powerchords.
- The singer is horrible
I can imagine you like Social Distortion but this song just plain sucks and misses everything that involves quality...

2
Muted at the point he said, "one more time."
No accounting for my own tastes. I like it! For a music snob like myself, this is almost a declaration of civil war. {#War}
A great band, thanks RP!
 gonzafr wrote:
All wee need now is 'Wall of Voodoo' version!
 
Yes! Yes! Yes!!! Now THAT is a cover worthy of playing...

Love this version. I'm guessing JR liked it too.
Yamson wrote:
'nuff said.
Um, no....
iTuner wrote:
Good God, please leave this song to Mr. Cash. Way to kill a great song.
Agree!
iTuner wrote:
Good God, please leave this song to Mr. Cash. Way to kill a great song.
I Completely agree. Good. God. no one will ever do Johnny Cash as well as Johnny Cash.
Johhny Cash's redheaded stepchild.
Uhhhh... no. Next please!
Love it.
This is a perfectly awful cover of a great song.